After the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year were merged,
the final voting results would be decided by a combination of global media outlets and the votes of national team captains and head coaches.
In the first round of media voting, Kai and Messi's tallies were nearly identical.
In recent years, Barcelona had first created the unprecedented sextuple,
and this year rebuilt a quintuple.
Unsurprisingly, the Spanish media gave all their votes to Messi.
But the English media were not to be outdone.
Votes from other regions seesawed back and forth,
and in the end, the two were practically tied in the media voting stage.
But once the votes from national team captains and coaches were revealed—
FIFA headquarters was in uproar!
In the first round of national team votes, Kai absolutely crushed Messi!
England captain Gerrard cast his ballot for Kai without hesitation.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, naturally, was never going to give his top vote to Messi.
But the most shocking of all—
was France captain Lloris, who also gave his first-choice vote to Kai!
The media could hardly believe it.
Lloris was Tottenham's goalkeeper.
Yet this season, Tottenham had been ruthlessly demolished by Kai's Arsenal twice over!
Had Lloris simply been convinced by defeat?
Or did he just refuse to hand his top vote to Messi?
Across Europe, outside of Spain,
nearly every national team captain voted for Kai as their first choice.
And in Asia—
though their FIFA rankings were far lower,
the Chinese national team captain still had voting rights.
Asia became one of Kai's most solid bases of support!
When the first round of voting was fully completed,
Kai still stood as the overwhelming favorite for this year's Ballon d'Or!
This unexpected outcome shook UEFA to its core.
The then-UEFA president, Platini, could no longer sit still.
Everyone knew—
Platini was firmly in the Barça camp.
Messi was his favorite player.
If things continued down this path,
Messi's dream of back-to-back Ballons d'Or would surely shatter.
But Kai's influence, both across Europe and on the global stage,
had grown far too immense!
In England, there was no need to elaborate.
And across other European leagues, Kai's fans could be found everywhere.
All around the world, countless young footballers, in their formative years,
had fallen in love with the sport purely from watching Kai play!
The image Kai presented matched perfectly with everyone's vision of a true genius.
He lacked Cristiano Ronaldo's ascetic, pressure-filled persona.
He contrasted sharply with Messi's style, which many felt lacked leadership.
Kai was young, brimming with confidence, high-spirited, and a born leader!
On the pitch, he could do anything.
Off the pitch, he continuously inspired his teammates and those around him, instilling belief and energy!
By now, Kai had become a universal icon in the football world.
And beyond football, he was just as much a heartthrob!
His clean-cut image and innate confidence had won him countless fans across all walks of life.
The debates across European football raged on endlessly.
And following the conclusion of the Premier League's 19th round against Manchester City,
Arsenal still had one final match in December—
the League Cup semi-final at the end of the month!
But before that,
another blockbuster event entered the spotlight:
the Champions League Round of 16 draw!
With the group stage fully wrapped up,
the sixteen teams had been decided.
Looking at the list, fans couldn't help but tremble.
This era's La Liga was indeed terrifyingly strong.
This season's Champions League Round of 16 included three Spanish sides!
From the Bundesliga, Bayern and Dortmund both advanced.
From the Premier League, only Manchester United joined Arsenal in reaching the last sixteen.
Manchester City, drawn into the same group as defending champions Barcelona,
finished third and failed to qualify.
Chelsea, wracked by dressing-room turmoil and chaos on and off the pitch,
also crashed out before the knockouts.
December 26th!
On the eve of the League Cup semi-final,
the Round of 16 draw concluded.
All of European football exploded with discussion!
Dortmund, who had only squeaked through the group of death with Arsenal by goal difference,
were drawn against the defending champions Barcelona in the very first knockout round!
Dortmund fans howled in despair.
After clawing their way out of Arsenal's death group,
their reward was Barça in the Round of 16?
Manchester United drew Inter.
Real Madrid drew Leverkusen.
Bayern drew Lyon.
And Arsenal?
The Gunners' fans eagerly awaited their opponents—
Valencia, from La Liga!
The Bats!
At this time, Valencia were the third-strongest team in Spain, right behind Real Madrid and Barcelona—
an absolute powerhouse!
Arsenal's first knockout tie of the season
would also be their very first clash against a Spanish side!
"La Liga's Big Three in full force! Arsenal draw Valencia in the Champions League Round of 16!"
"Kai to face a Spanish team for the first time in his career!"
Amid the heated discussions,
the very next day,
Arsenal quickly shifted focus to their final match of the month—
the League Cup semi-final!
With the League Cup now in its decisive knockout stages,
only four teams remained, battling to the end.
English football was in a frenzy.
Arsenal's opponent for this semi-final: Liverpool!
Under the return of Kenny Dalglish,
Liverpool had shaken off some of last season's malaise
and surged into the League Cup semi-final.
Unlike the rest of the League Cup, which was single-elimination,
the semi-final alone was played over two legs, home and away!
By draw, the first leg would be held at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.
December 28th!
The final match of December—
and Arsenal's final match of 2011.
The first leg of the League Cup semi-final.
Arsenal hosted Liverpool at the Emirates!
After that crazy performance at Anfield earlier this season, every Liverpool fan had engraved in their memory the sight of that black-haired figure wearing the Arsenal captain's armband.
For this match, from Merseyside to North London—
Confronted with the overwhelming momentum sweeping across North London, the Liverpool supporters were stunned!
On every street and corner of North London, countless figures could be seen wearing Arsenal's No. 10 shirt!
The Gunners' fans were filled with passion, turning North London into a fortress bound together by extraordinary unity that night!
The Liverpool fans couldn't help but gape.
Wasn't Arsenal not the only club in North London?
Tottenham were there too, weren't they?
Then why did it feel as if the whole of North London belonged to Arsenal alone?
They had completely dominated the entire city's atmosphere!
As late December approached, the weather in London grew damp and chilly.
Snowflakes drifted from the sky.
But inside the Emirates that night, the fiery atmosphere raged unrelentingly!
"Wooooohhh!!"
Deafening roars erupted in waves from every corner of the stadium!
Inside the players' tunnel before kick-off—
At the very front of the two teams' lines, Steven Gerrard, holding the Liverpool flag, extended his hand warmly.
Kai reached out and shook it.
"Meeting again!"
Gerrard's eyes burned with energy. "I hope tonight we can give the fans a spectacular match!"
Kai smiled and nodded.
"Won't be long before we meet again. The second leg of the semi-final—we'll be at Anfield once more."
Gerrard's gaze grew intense.
"Kai, the Three Lions have been waiting for your answer…"
But the roar of fans at the tunnel entrance quickly drowned out their voices.
At exactly eight o'clock, when both teams walked out of the tunnel, a tsunami of cheers crashed down from every corner of the Emirates!
"For this match, Liverpool are lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, with Luis Suárez and Andy Carroll as the two strikers, and Gerrard leading the midfield!"
"On Arsenal's side, they've also gone with a 4-4-2, a system they haven't often used this season! Substitute striker Olivier Giroud starts alongside Robin van Persie up front!"
"And Kai will be commanding the midfield!"
Beep!
The referee blew the whistle—
The match had officially begun!
The stands instantly erupted with another wave of wild cheering!
Arsenal held the opening possession.
After van Persie and Giroud kicked off, the ball was swiftly passed to Kai's feet.
In the opening phase, Arsenal, with first possession, pushed their formation high up the pitch!
Under the excited gaze of the fans, Kai carried the ball past the center circle arc—
And shot straight away!
The stands instantly erupted in a collective gasp!
~~----------------------
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